ESPN just revealed that Saints fans came so close to seeing a bittersweet reunion between Sean Payton and Drew Brees last year
The New Orleans Saints had one of the best QB-HC duos of all time for a decade plus. But according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, there was a world where the two of them reunited, just in a different city.
Drew Brees and Sean Payton nearly reunited for one more run together. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Hall of Fame quarterback almost came out of retirement to join the Denver Broncos, and the NFL world would have been turned upside down had it happened. The legendary New Orleans Saints quarterback-head coach duo, who won a Super Bowl together and were perennial NFC Championship contenders, came close to linking up again on the biggest stage in football.
What the reunion would have meant
For Saints fans, this would have been bittersweet. Brees and Payton dominated the league together in New Orleans for over 15 years. They built one of the most prolific offenses in NFL history, captured a Lombardi Trophy, and gave the city of New Orleans some of its greatest sports memories.
To see that tandem get back together one more time at the highest of stages would have been something else entirely. This was for the AFC Championship. A shot to get to the Super Bowl, potentially win a Super Bowl. A storybook, Hollywood script-like ending that honestly Hollywood couldn’t even make up. That’s what football tends to bring us.
I would have loved to see it. I don’t know how many Saints fans would have shared that sentiment, given that Brees and Payton are their quarterback-coach duo. But purely from a football standpoint, the idea of those two running it back one more time is fascinating.
Drew Brees All-time stats with Saints
Played 15 seasons
- 68,010 passing yards
- 491 touchdowns
- 101.5 QB rating
Why it didn’t happen
The logistics tell you everything you need to know about why this stayed in the “what if” category. Brees hasn’t thrown a football competitively in over half a decade. Beyond that, how in the world would he get ready for a New England Patriots defense and learn the Broncos offense inside and out in a week?
I’m not going to put it past him, because he is a Hall of Famer. He is one of the most cerebral passers to ever play the game. He spent plenty of time with Payton in New Orleans, so the communication and trust between the two would have been there. But that would have been a tall order by any measure.
I’m sure all of that, combined with the fact that he hadn’t taken a hit in over five years, combined with the fact that he had to retire due to his shoulder, all played into why he did not come back.
The bottom line
What a sight it would have been for New Orleans Saints fans and for fans of the NFL in general if Brees and Payton would have gotten together one more time. The football world came close to one of the great comeback stories in league history — and for anyone who loves the game, that near-miss is worth sitting with.
